“Did we forget that it was an international match”- Ashwin on Harshit-Dube concussion swap

The decision by the match referee and on-field officials to permit Harshit Rana to play in the fourth T20I against England in Pune as a concussion replacement for Shivam Dube has been questioned by former India offspinner R Ashwin.

Dube was run out on the final delivery of India’s innings after Craig Overton’s bouncer struck him on his helmet on the penultimate ball. Although Dube is an all-round seam bowler, he lacks Harshit’s skill set since Harshit is a faster bowler.

With one game remaining, Harshit took three wickets in the second innings after Dube hammered 53 off 34 in the first, helping India win by 15 runs and take the series 3-1. Jos Buttler, the captain of England, and many other players, both past and present, were perplexed by the choice.

Ashwin also stated that it was a matter of simple cricketing error.

“The game is over. At home, India wins another series. T20I’s victory has been nothing short of spectacular. Which game was it? It resembled an IPL copy. On his ‘Ash Ki Baat’ YouTube channel, Ashwin stated, “Supersub was present, and the game was played with an impact player?”

“The whole conversation revolves around Harshit Rana’s replacement for Shivam Dube due to a concussion. Did we play an IPL match and overlook the fact that it was an international game? I’m able to comprehend. It has already occurred. Yuzvendra Chahal was substituted after Ravindra Jadeja suffered a concussion in Canberra. This is not clear to me. A spinner for a spinner, Chahal replaced Jadeja, at least in the past.

According to Ashwin, the perfect like-for-like substitute for Dube would have been Ramandeep Singh. “Harshit replaced Shivam Dube in this instance. The Indian and English teams have no part in this. You might say that Harshit Rana can bat and Shivam Dube can bowl, which is why we brought him in if the team is empty. Outside was Ramandeep Singh, who was a like-for-like substitute. I fail to comprehend.

Whether it was the match referee or the umpires, this is an instance of pure cricket calculation error. Ramandeep Singh was present, just like Shivam Dube. But not him. The concussion replacement was selected to be Harshit Rana. The authorities ought to investigate this, in my opinion.

The fifth and final T20I will be played in Mumbai on February 2.